Christmas Courage.

No, that’s not the name of the latest Hallmark movie (although now that I think about it …). Rather, it is a new perspective that I was pondering this morning.

‘Courage’ is not an attribute that readily comes to mind when thinking of Christmas. I normally associate the words joy, peace and hope with this time of year, but I don’t think I’ve ever thought of courage.

So why am I thinking of it now? I was doing my devotions this morning and started thinking about all of the people involved in that first Christmas. And the word ‘courage’ kept popping up in my mind.

Mary- an unwed virgin teen, about to give birth

Joseph- a man betrothed to a woman who is pregnant (and not with his child)

The wise men- three men on a mission to meet a new King and in the process defy the orders of another King

The shepherds- they leave their flocks (their very livelihood) to meet the Savior

Jesus- God’s son, giving everything up to take on human flesh with the full understanding of His final mission: the cross

Courage. Over and over again it presents itself in this story. And now that I see it, I can’t help but wonder how I’ve missed it all these years.

I wonder in what ways we could put this message into action. Maybe it is as simple as calling someone you haven’t spoken to in a while. Or perhaps you feel called to give of your time or your money in a way you haven’t before. Let me know what you might do- I’d love to get a ‘Christmas Courage’ list going!